Hi Les – hope you guys are well – what an adventure with the Landies not missing a beat, but extremely tough on man and machine. Doing weekly interviews on Classic FM sponsored by Land Rover as you know, am also sending out regular media updates to Die Burger, all of which have Landie mentions. Don Pinnock who is travelling with us is doing daily blogs to the Getaway website. getawaytoafrica.com
Greetings from the Cuanza River, we are all alive and well and just south of Luanda in Angola. The journey thus far has proved a challenging adventure, not without bumps, bureaucrats, torn tyres and non-existent roads.
We have been able to do great humanitarian work especially now that we get to more populated areas. Many people here are desperate and Land Rover’s humanitarian efforts to save and improve lives through adventure are hugely rewarding. It is always a great pleasure working with you.
Humanitarian Action – Saving and Improving Lives Through Adventure
To date in a Land Rover supported campaign called “Teaching on the Edge” the expedition had distributed 22 mobile libraries to remote schools up the West Coast of South Africa, and in Namibia around Luderitz, Walvis Bay and Ruacana.
The One Net One Life malaria prevention campaign in which mosquito nets are distributed to pregnant mothers and to children under the age of five has commenced as has the right to sight programme in which spectacles are given to the poor sighted. In Angola thousands of pencils, pens and exercise books have been distributed to remote bush schools. On Wednesday 20 June we held a malaria day in Luanda at Centro de Saude Boavista, a downtown clinic in the centre of the city in which mosquito nets were distributed to pregnant mums and babies.
This very successful event went out on local radio, TV and press, the story of a South African led expedition caring for the people of Africa.
Land Rover
We thank Land Rover for its interest in this world first humanitarian expedition. Its 58 days since the expedition was launched on Africa Malaria Day and we will long remember being escorted out of the Mother City by a world record breaking 347 Land Rovers – a massive act of solidarity in support of malaria prevention.
The road ahead
The expedition will leave Luanda on 22nd June to head north to Soyo at the mouth of the Congo River. Once again thanks to Land Rover’s support the Angolan section of the expedition has been a great success.
